Jim Ross will have a second brain surgery on Wednesday morning to address an issue with the shunt placed in his head in August. He says a CT scan found bleeding, which led his surgeon to switch the shunt off.
Ross announced the surgery on X on Monday night: “Getting another brain surgery Wednesday morning to address an issue with my shunt. Positive thoughts appreciated. Thanks.”
Getting another brain surgery Wednesday morning to address an issue with my shunt.
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) October 6, 2026
Positive thoughts appreciated. Thanks
In an episode of Grilling JR released Tuesday, Ross did not mention the Wednesday surgery, but he told co-host Conrad Thompson that his surgeon had already switched the shunt off.
“My surgeon who did the surgery on my head turned the shunt off because it was causing some issues, some problems,” Ross said. “So I kind of had mixed emotions about that, because with the shunt on, my balance and me walking and things of that nature are enormously improved, and with the shunt off, I’ve got to be a little bit more careful.”
He said the CT scan was the reason. “My CAT scan reveals some stuff that wasn’t too cool, but my surgeon who got the results of the CAT scan was all over it,” Ross said. “They did the dye and all that stuff to make sure they knew what’s going on, and it was bleeding, and that was why I had these frigging headaches, so that’s why he turned the shunt off.”
Ross said his surgeon had also set him up with a new specialist in Oklahoma City this week, and that his oncologist had reviewed the scan as well. His daughter, a licensed physician assistant, and his granddaughter, a nursing student at the University of Oklahoma, went with him to an appointment to go over his MRI. “I’m still on the road to recovery, and I’m very optimistic that the results are going to be good,” he said.
Ross’ Recovery Since August
Ross, 74, had the shunt fitted on August 12 to drain excess fluid from his brain. Two doctors then advised him not to fly to London for All In. In September, he said he had lost more than 50 pounds and had nurses at home twice a week. Last week, he said doctors were testing a spot on his kidney and that the shunt was causing “blistering headaches” that woke him at night.
